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When Pure-FTPd reports permission denied for SITE CHMOD, check the daemon policy before changing Unix permissions. The usual causes are the -R option disabling CHMOD, a file the account does not own, missing execute (traverse) permission on a parent directory, or a safety rule protecting the home directory. A successful chmod on one object also does not alter the permissions assigned to later uploads; those defaults come from Pure-FTPd’s -U masks.
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What a Pure-FTPd chmod error actually means
Pure-FTPd processes a permission change through several independent controls. The FTP command must first be allowed by the server, then the authenticated account must be authorized for the target object, and the operating system must permit access through the complete path. Finally, Pure-FTPd may reject modes that would make a user’s home directory unsafe.
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SITE CHMODfor every account, including authenticated non-anonymous users. - Object authorization: Unix ownership and mode bits determine who may change a file or directory.
- Path traversal: the account needs execute permission on every parent directory to reach the target.
- Home-directory protection: Pure-FTPd applies additional safety restrictions to user home directories.
- Creation defaults: the mode of a new upload is controlled when the object is created, not by a later chmod of another file.
Work through those layers in that order. It avoids the common mistake of making a tree world-writable when the real problem is a single daemon flag.
Quick triage: symptom, cause and first check
| What you observe | Most likely layer | First check |
|---|---|---|
| Every file returns a permission error, including files the user just uploaded | Pure-FTPd policy | Look for the -R startup option or equivalent configuration that disables CHMOD. |
| The user can change some files but not a particular file | Ownership or mode bits | Inspect the target with ls -l or stat; verify its numeric UID and GID. |
| The target is inside a directory the user cannot enter | Parent traversal | Run namei -l /full/path/to/target and check the execute bit on every directory. |
| A command works in a subdirectory but not on the FTP home itself | Home-directory safety restriction | Test a disposable file below the home root; have an administrator inspect or change the home mode. |
| Existing files have the desired mode, but later uploads do not | Creation mask | Inspect Pure-FTPd’s -U file and directory masks and test a new upload. |
| Users can upload to a shared folder but cannot delete one another’s files | Directory deletion rules | Check the directory’s write/execute permissions and whether a sticky bit is appropriate. |
1. Check whether Pure-FTPd has disabled SITE CHMOD
The Pure-FTPd README and manual document the -R option as: Disallow users (even non-anonymous ones) usage of the CHMOD command. When this option is active, changing Unix ownership or adding write bits will not help: the FTP daemon rejects the command before the filesystem permission check.
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Find the active startup policy
The exact configuration location depends on the Linux distribution and how Pure-FTPd was installed. Inspect the running service rather than assuming a particular file:
systemctl cat pure-ftpd
ps -ef | grep '[p]ure-ftpd'Look for -R in the service’s command line, an options file, or a distribution-specific wrapper. If a process manager assembles the command from separate switches, confirm the generated command as well as the source configuration.
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Remove or change -R only if users are supposed to adjust modes on their own files. Enabling the command gives an account another way to expose or hide its data; it does not grant ownership of files belonging to other accounts. Keep the restriction when the service’s policy requires centrally managed permissions, such as a drop box where clients should upload but never alter modes.
Apply and test the policy change
- Edit the authoritative Pure-FTPd options source and remove the CHMOD-disabling switch, or use the service’s documented policy control.
- Reload or restart Pure-FTPd using the normal service procedure for the host.
- Reconnect the FTP session. A long-lived connection may still be talking to an old process or may cache the previous server response.
- Run a harmless test against a file the account owns, for example
SITE CHMOD 640 test.txt.
Pure-FTPd explicitly supports SITE CHMOD for a user’s own files when the feature is enabled. A successful test on an owned file proves that the daemon policy is open; it does not prove that every path or object is writable.
2. Confirm the account and the path you are actually changing
FTP paths are normally displayed from inside the user’s chroot. The path shown as / in an FTP client may be a directory such as /srv/ftp/alice on the server. A shell administrator must therefore map the FTP-visible name to the real filesystem path before inspecting permissions.
Verify the logged-in identity
Disconnect and reconnect with the account that receives the error. Do not infer the identity from a saved client profile: virtual-user authentication can map several login names to different Unix UIDs, and a shared client profile may silently reuse another account.
Verify the target name
Use the client’s working-directory display and directory listing to establish the exact object:
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LIST report.txtWhen using a command-line FTP client, the equivalent command is commonly entered as:
quote SITE CHMOD 640 report.txtRun the command from the directory where the listing shows the file. A relative name avoids accidentally prepending the chroot path twice. If the filename contains spaces or shell metacharacters, use the quoting rules of the FTP client rather than the shell.
Check whether the object belongs to this account
Pure-FTPd’s normal support is for changing a user’s own files. If an administrator, another virtual user, or an automated process created the file under a different UID, the FTP account is not its owner even if it can read or upload in the same directory. Record the target’s numeric UID and GID before making any changes.
3. Inspect ownership, mode bits and every parent directory
Perform filesystem checks from a privileged shell on the server. Substitute the real path that corresponds to the FTP-visible location.
ls -ld /srv/ftp/alice/incoming/report.txt
stat /srv/ftp/alice/incoming/report.txt
namei -l /srv/ftp/alice/incoming/report.txtRead the target’s ownership
ls -l shows the owner, group and symbolic mode; stat provides numeric IDs and timestamps that help distinguish an administrator-created file from one uploaded by the FTP account. The account generally needs to own the object to change its mode. Group membership can grant read, write or execute access, but group access alone does not normally make an account the owner who may run chmod.
Read the mode correctly
A regular file such as -rw-r----- has separate owner, group and other bits. A directory such as drwxr-x--- uses execute to mean traversal: without x, a user cannot access entries inside it even if the directory is readable. Write permission on a directory controls creating, renaming and deleting entries; it is distinct from write permission on the file itself.
Check all parents, not only the final file
namei -l displays each component of the path. Every parent directory from the filesystem root to the target must grant the account execute (traverse) permission, directly or through its group. A missing x on /srv/ftp/alice or incoming can produce a denial that looks like a file-mode problem.
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Look for an administrator-imposed ownership mismatch
Uploads may be placed under a service UID, a deployment account, or a shared group. Compare the numeric IDs shown by stat with the account’s configured UID and supplementary groups. If a scheduled job repeatedly changes ownership after upload, a one-time chmod repair will not remain effective; fix the job’s ownership policy instead.
4. Repair an existing object without opening the whole tree
Make the smallest change that satisfies the workflow. Broad recursive commands are difficult to audit and can expose unrelated data.
Correct ownership when the account should own the file
An administrator can assign the intended UID and group with commands such as:
chown alice:ftpusers /srv/ftp/alice/incoming/report.txt
chgrp ftpusers /srv/ftp/alice/incoming/report.txtUse the account and group names defined on the host; do not copy these examples literally if your service uses different identities. Changing ownership may affect other applications that rely on the original UID, so confirm the dependency first.
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Set a narrow mode on a regular file
chmod 640 /srv/ftp/alice/incoming/report.txtMode 640 gives the owner read/write access, the group read access and everyone else no access. Choose another mode when the application requires it, but document why each additional bit is needed. If the account is only meant to download a file, a read-only mode such as 440 may be safer.
Set a narrow mode on a directory
chmod 750 /srv/ftp/alice/incomingMode 750 lets the owner list, create and traverse entries, gives the group read and traverse access, and blocks other users. Remember that users need directory write plus execute to create or delete entries; changing a file’s mode alone does not grant that directory capability.
Avoid the recursive 777 shortcut
chmod -R 777 grants every local account and process write access to every file and directory below the target. It also changes files that should remain private and can turn an upload directory into a place where one account modifies another account’s code. Repair the specific object and parent directory instead, and use a shared group when several trusted accounts need access.
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5. Separate existing-file repairs from future-upload permissions
Pure-FTPd’s -U option controls the creation masks applied to new files and directories. It does not retroactively change an object that already exists. After repairing an old file, a later upload can still appear with a different mode if the server’s creation policy has not changed.
Documented default masks
Current Pure-FTPd project documentation and the Debian pure-ftpd(8) manual describe default masks of 133 for files and 022 for directories. The mask is applied to the mode requested at creation. With the usual base modes of 0666 for files and 0777 for directories, the resulting permissions are:
| Object | Base mode commonly requested | Mask | Resulting mode under that base | Practical effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular file | 0666 |
0133 |
0533 |
Owner keeps read/write; group loses write; the exact execute/read result depends on the requested base mode and client. |
| Directory | 0777 |
0022 |
0755 |
Owner retains full access; group and other users retain read/traverse but not write. |
The file result above illustrates why you must consider the requested base mode: an FTP client or server may request a mode other than the conventional 0666, and a creation mask only removes bits. Check an actual disposable upload rather than relying on arithmetic alone.
Private-upload policy with -U 177:077
The Debian manual documents -U 177:077 as a way to make new files readable only by the user and new directories accessible only to the user. Under the conventional bases, 0666 masked by 0177 yields 0600, while 0777 masked by 0077 yields 0700.
| Policy | File mask | Directory mask | Expected conventional result | Use when |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Documented default | 133 |
022 |
Depends on requested base; often a file readable by the owner and a directory equivalent to 755 |
Compatibility with ordinary shared hosting layouts. |
| Private uploads | 177 |
077 |
Files 600; directories 700 under the conventional bases |
Each account should keep uploads private by default. |
Change the mask deliberately
- Locate the service option source and confirm the current
-Uvalue. - Choose file and directory masks based on the consumers that need access; do not copy a private policy into a genuinely shared drop folder.
- Restart or reload Pure-FTPd through the host’s normal service mechanism.
- Upload a disposable file and directory, then inspect them from the shell with
statandls -ld. - Test access with the actual application or second account that needs to read the objects.
Changing -U affects future creations only. Use an explicit, targeted chmod or ownership repair for objects already on disk.
6. Handle shared upload directories with the sticky bit
In standard Unix behavior, the owner of a directory can delete entries in it even when those entries belong to different users, provided the directory is writable and searchable. That can be surprising in a public upload area: one account may remove another account’s file without owning the file itself.
When a world-writable directory is intentional
The Pure-FTPd FAQ gives this guidance for a public shared directory:
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chmod 1777 publicThe leading 1 is the sticky bit; the remaining 777 grants read, write and execute to owner, group and other users. With the sticky bit set, users can create files, but deletion and renaming are restricted to the file owner, the directory owner or an administrator. The sticky bit does not make files private and does not grant permission to change another user’s file modes.
Prefer narrower permissions when possible
If only a known group needs to exchange files, use an owner/group arrangement and a non-world-writable directory instead of 1777. Reserve the sticky-bit pattern for a directory that truly must accept uploads from unrelated accounts. Review read permission as well as write permission: a writable directory can still leak filenames or file contents if its mode permits listing or reading.
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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors7. Account for Pure-FTPd’s home-directory safety rules
Pure-FTPd advertises safe permissions on user home directories. As a result, a user may be able to run SITE CHMOD on an ordinary file or nested directory but receive an error when trying to apply a dangerous mode to the home root itself. This is an intentional guardrail, not evidence that the user’s ownership is wrong.
Distinguish a protected root from a general CHMOD failure
Create or upload a disposable file in a permitted subdirectory and try a conservative mode such as 640. If that succeeds while a request against the chroot root fails, leave the home-root protection in place. An administrator with shell access must change the home directory if a hosting layout genuinely requires a different mode.
Do not work around the guardrail with a broader directory mode
Making the home root world-writable, or moving the account outside its intended chroot, can expose configuration files and other users’ data. Put collaborative content in a dedicated subdirectory with an explicit owner, group and mode instead.
8. A complete verification procedure
Use this sequence after any policy or filesystem change. It isolates one variable at a time and leaves an audit trail.
- Record the FTP-visible path. Log in as the affected account, run
PWD, enter the target directory and list the exact filename. - Record the server-side path. Ask an administrator to map the chroot path to its real location; do not guess by concatenating directory names.
- Confirm the daemon option. Inspect the running command or service definition for
-Rand the active-Uvalue. - Inspect every path component. Run
namei -l, thenls -ldandstaton the target. - Repair only what is necessary. Correct the owner, group, parent traversal bit or target mode with a non-recursive command.
- Reconnect the FTP client. This ensures the test uses the current daemon process and account mapping.
- Test an owned disposable file. Upload
chmod-test.txt, runSITE CHMOD 640 chmod-test.txt, and confirm the result from the shell. - Test the real workflow. Create a second disposable upload if you changed
-U, then verify the application or collaborating account can read, write or delete exactly what it should. - Remove test objects. Clean up the disposable files without touching production data.
9. Failure branches and safe fixes
The server says the command is unknown or always refuses it
Check for -R first. If the option is present, decide whether policy permits removing it, restart the daemon, reconnect and retest. If it is absent, inspect the service log and confirm that the process you edited is the process accepting the FTP connection; multiple instances or a container can leave an older policy running.
The command works on a new upload but not on an older file
Compare ownership and numeric IDs. The older file may have been copied in by an administrator or created by another service account. Assign the intended owner or have the owning process perform the mode change; do not grant every local account write access merely to make the FTP login succeed.
The file is owned correctly but the operation still fails
Run namei -l and inspect each parent for the account’s execute permission. Correct the missing traversal bit on the specific directory, or place the file in a directory whose owner/group policy matches the workflow.
Only the home root is rejected
Treat this as Pure-FTPd’s home-directory safety behavior. Use a nested directory for user-managed content and have an administrator change the root mode if there is a documented operational reason.
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That is a creation-policy issue, not a failed repair of the existing file. Review -U, change the masks to the intended defaults, restart the service and verify with a fresh upload. Remember that the requested base mode also affects the final result.
Users can upload but cannot remove one another’s files
Check whether the directory is intentionally shared and whether it has write and execute permission for the uploading users. If it must be publicly writable, apply the sticky-bit pattern recommended for that use; if not, use a narrower owner/group directory and define who is allowed to delete entries.
10. Security checklist before you finish
- Keep
-Renabled when users should never alter modes; enable SITE CHMOD only for a defined requirement. - Grant ownership or group access to the specific files and directories involved, not to the entire FTP tree.
- Ensure every parent directory has the required execute bit, while avoiding unnecessary read or write access.
- Use
-Uto set sensible defaults for future uploads, and separately repair existing objects. - Use
chmod 1777only for a genuinely public shared directory and understand that it protects deletion, not confidentiality. - Leave Pure-FTPd’s home-directory safety restrictions in place unless an administrator has a documented reason to change them.
- Test with disposable files, inspect the resulting numeric modes, and verify the workflow from the perspective of each account that needs access.
The practical fix in one decision path
If every SITE CHMOD attempt fails, inspect the daemon for -R. If only particular objects fail, verify ownership and the execute bit on every parent directory. If the failure is limited to the home root, respect Pure-FTPd’s safety restriction and work in a subdirectory. If the complaint concerns uploads made later, configure -U and test a new object; chmod on an existing file cannot change creation defaults. This sequence resolves the policy, filesystem and timing issues without resorting to an unsafe recursive permission change.
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